Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) remains difficult to understand and to treat. The definition criteria of the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) in 1994 showed an overestimation ... [more ▼]

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) remains difficult to understand and to treat. The definition criteria of the IASP (International Association for the Study of Pain) in 1994 showed an overestimation of diagnosis. A revision of these criteria conducted in Budapest in 2003 permits to ameliorate the specificity of these criteria in clinical and research settings. Pathophysiology is poorly understood, only one mechanism can’t explain the observed manifestations in the CRPS: facilitated neurogenic inflammation, peripheral and central abnormalities of the central nervous system … Finally, the different laboratory tests are reviewed. Unfortunately, no laboratory test is the signature of CRPS. The diagnosis relies on history and rigorous clinical examination. Imagery method, neurophysiologic test and evaluation of inflammatory parameters help to the differential diagnosis. [less ▲]